The Bavarian Alps

The Bavarian Alps
Copyright Andy Richards 2024 -All Rights Reserved

WE SPENT 4 days in Zurich (and surrounds), Munich (and Bavaria), and Prague. We probably should have spent 4 in Berlin, but our travel plans only accomodated 3. There was much more to do in every place.

Oberammergau - Bavaria, Germany
Copyright Andy Richards 2024 - All Rights Reserved

WE SPENT our final day in Munich - well, mostly out of Munich. We were signed up for a tour of castles in the Bavarian Alps. I could see from this trip that I could easily have spent another day in rural Bavaria. We drove through some villages that looked photographically intriguing; in particular Oberamergau, a very "Bavarian" village known for its performance of "The Passion Play," in its "Passion Play Theatre." The town has traditional Bavarian style gable roofed architecture, and several buildings whose exteriors are painted with frescoes. In addition, the villiage is know all over the world for its skilled and often intricate wood carving, a tradition dating back to the 12th century. The village had strong ties to Bavarian King Ludwig II (known alternately as "The Mad King," or "The Fairy Tale King" - more on that subject below). For a really detailed and interesting read, check out this blog post from Tricia's Travels. Ober (upper?) and its neighboring Unterammergau (lower?) share similarities and are both on the banks of the Ammer River.

Linderhof Palace - Bavaria, Germany
Copyright Andy Richards 2024 - All Rights Reserved

ASIDE FROM the relentless gloomy rain, these villages looked like great spots to stop and wander with a camera. Our day, however, was already well-planned. The 3 architectural wonders we were to visit were nearly 100 miles from Munich, involving an already long commute to and from the places; a palace and two castles (though one of them involved only some views from a distance). With time for stops and some walking to and from the destinations, our day was full.

Linderhof Palace - Bavaria, Germany
Copyright Andy Richards 2024 - All Rights Reserved

OUR FIRST stop for the day was Schloss Linderhof. I mentioned above that we would come back to King Ludwig II. Ludwig ascended to the throne in 1864, at the tender age of 18, upon the death of his father, Maximillian II (of Bavaria - not to be confused with Holy Roman Emperor Maximillian II who lived and died a few centuries earlier). Ludwig was apparently and odd sort who withdrew from the rigors of ruling and immersed himself almost totally in the arts and architecture. He was apparently wise enough, however, to maintain the policies of his father and retain all of his ministers. During his reign, he commissioned 3 elaborate palaces.Two of them, Schloss Linderhof (Linderhof Palace) and Schloss Neuschanstein (Neuschwanstein Castle) were the main events of our excursion. Readers may recall from an old blog post here that the difference between a palace and a castle is that the latter is fortified - usually with at least a wall and often a moat. The germans use the word "schloss" to cover both.

Linderhof Palace - Bavaria, Germany
Copyright Andy Richards 2024

BECAUSE OF his isolation from world and focus on the arts, including architecture and music (Ludgwig was a primary patron of composer Richard Wagner, and rescued him from near bankruptcy), Ludwig - even though King of Bavaria - became alternatively known as "The Mad King," "The Fairy Tale King." or "The Swan King" (Neunschwanstein translates to "New Swanstone" in English - Ludwig apparently loved swans). He was also a bit of a "night owl," often sleeping through most of the day and active during the night. Remember that when he started out, he was only 18. Sounds awfully familiar in coparison to my own teens back in the day. Both of these castles demonstrate Ludwig's affinity for the art of the day, and demonstrate the reasoning behind these nicknames. Photography of any kind was not allowed in the interior of this remarkably small palace, so you will have to take my word for it that it was very ornate. I think the interior of Linderhof is a greater demonstration of Ludwig's artistic and extravagant tastes, while his second commissioned work - Neuschwanstein is much more dramatic in its exterior. It is said that Linderhof borrowed much of its inspiration from Versailles in France (itself inspired by Louis XIV - "The Sun King"). Narrative also notes that much of the interior decoration is in the style of Rococo. To my eye, it was extravagantly ornate, with some very expensive and perhaps rare materials used in its construction and furnishings.

The spectacular formal gardens showing fall color in the background - Linderhof Palace - Bavaria, Germany
Copyright Andy Richards 2024 - All Rights Reserved

THE PALACE is about a 15-20 minute hike from the parking area up a grade to the grounds. Photographically, it was worth the hike. I sure wish we could have maybe seen a peek of sun though. During our visit to Linderhof, it kept up a steady drizzle. In some respects, the wet saturated subject may have photographed better though. At first blush the palace itself doesn't feel as large or grandiose as many we have seen throughout Europe, as can be seen from the front on view. The grounds, on the other hand, are remarkable. As you move away from the palace itself, the layers of landcape and grounds seem to make it grow in splendor.

Gardens and Music Pavillion - Linderhof Palace - Bavaria, Germany
Copyright Andy Richards 2024 - All Rights Reserved

THE FRONT of the main castle faces the formal gardens, whose central feature is a large pool with a gold fountain in the center. At the rear of the building, there is another garden, with a man-made grotto, fronted by another fountain. As you can see in the far back of the photo, there is a very small music pavillion. The motif here seems to be gold, green, black and with, accented with bright flowers in many places.

Linderhof Palace Garden - Bavaria, Germany
Copyright Andy Richards 2024 - All Rights Reserved

TO THE sides, there are additional, smaller and more intimate gardens, of equal beauty and detail of design. A major feature of the main garden, though is the remarkable mechanics of the fountain in the middle of the pool. The water that feeds the fountain comes from the mountains in the background, with a source apparently high enough above the fountain itself to create substantial water pressure. There is a valve that shuts the source down most of the time, but at intervals, the valve opens and the viewer is treated to a show. My composite shows the fountain as it slowly builds to its apex, and eventually dies back down. Considering its age, it is a pretty amazing sight.

The Fountain at Linderhof Palace - Bavaria, Germany
Copyright Andy Richards 2024 - All Rights Reserved

THERE ARE a couple other interesting pieces in the park that is now the grounds of Linderhof, notably a Moorish Kiosk and a Moroccan House, both originally constructed for International Exhibitions in Paris and Vienna, respectively. We walked by the Moroccan House but did not have time to stop, or to find and visit the Moorish Kiosk. Maybe next time.

Schloss Hohenschwangau (Alpsee in the background) - Bavaria, Germany
Copyright Andy Richards 2024 - All Rights Reserved

LUDWIG II attended the Passion Play (perhaps multiple times), but rather than staying in Oberammergau, he stayed in the nearby little village of Hohenschwangau ("the Swan District"), at Schloss Hohenschwangau, his own childhood summer residence, which was built by his father, Maximillian II. Interstingly, at the time, this castle was known as "Schwanstein." Ludwig continued to live there after taking the throne, even after 869 when construction commenced on Neuenschwanstein ("New Schwanstein"). Hohenschwangau is open to visitors and it would have been nice to have toured it. Neither our purchased excursion, nor time permitted this trip, however. For this trip at least, I would have be happy with the opportunity to photograph it. I made a few, but my best perspective was from high above, on the road up to Neuschwanstein Castle.

From Neuschwanstein - Alpsee, the village of Hohenschwangau, and Hohenschwangau Castle
Bavaria, Germany
Copyright Andy Richards 2024 - All Rights Reserved

SCHLOSS NEUSCHWANSTEIN was built on a high bluff high above Hohenschwangau, with dramatic views both of it from several vantage points below, and from it as one can see sweeping views of the valley below. Wikipedia describes Neuschwanstein as a "Romanesque fortress with soaring fairy tale towers." The description is most certainly apt, and its dramatic profile has made it perhaps the world's most famous castle. Indeed, Neuschwanstein is the inspiration of Disney fame, as none other than Walt Disney himself visited the castle in the 1950's and the castle not only inspired the famed Disney Logo, but the castle in the first Disney recreational property, DisneyLand in Anaheim, CA, is pretty much a direct replica. Since then the replica castle has been the central attraction in the layout of the other Disney properties - notable perhaps the biggest, Disney World, in Orlando, Florida. The castle has also been feature in Disney movies like Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella, among others.

Marienbrucke - The view of the Castle - Schloss Neuschwanstein - Bavaria, Germany
Copyright Andy Richards 2024 - All Rights Reserved

PHOTOGRAPHING THIS castle may have been my primary goal during our stay in Munich. I have seen prints and photographs of the castle from a couple different viewpoints and am not sure where some of them are. The most popular viewpoint is the Marienbrucke ("Marie's Bridge, named by Ludwig II after his mother), which crosses The Pollat, a relatively small, rollicking stream deep in a gorge near the castle. The footbridge crosses the gorge, which opens to a spectacular view of the Castle and the valley beyond. The bridge is a very popular spot and there will be a wait in most instances to get to the bridge from the dropoff point of the shuttle up from Hohenschangau. I waited probably from 10-15 minutes. It was my first time there, and I was having a hard time visualizing what was happening, until I made it to the actual bridge. It really doesn't go anywhere, so once you have shouldered your way out, you must eventually return. That makes for a real logjam of bodies.

Neuschwanstein Castle - Bavaria, Germany
Copyright Andy Richards 2024 - All Rights Reserved

IS IT worth the wait and the elbowing crowd? I think so. You be the judge. I got lucky for my few minutes of fame, as not only did the rain stop, but a sliver of blue sky and sunshine broke out. Photographically, probably better light than a full, sunny sky would be, as we were there about mid-afternoon. When I get a opportunity like this, knowing it might be my one and only opportunity, I tend to go overboard. I made a lot of shots which on later review seem awfully similar. Better, I guess, to have more than you need.

Neuschwanstein Castle - Bavaria, Germany
Copyright Andy Richards 2024 - All Rights Reserved

I AM (slowly) learning to take a moment to make a snap or two of these kinds of places with my smart phone. I don't often have the time or ambition to post process images on site and post them to social media, or send them to friends. It is much easier to do that from the phone. I made several of that here. On the computer screen it is really difficult for me to tell the difference at web-level resolution. That technology just keeps getting better. I also had the fun opportunity of offering to take a handful of shots of couples and even one family, with the castle in the background. Knowing a little about photography meant I think they got better shots. There were many folks either taking selfies, or of each other where it was obvious they were not getting an optimal framing of the shot with the castle. It was fun to be useful!

Neuschwanstein Castle - Bavaria, Germany
(made with my Samsung S21 smartphone)
Copyright Andy Richards 2024 - All Rights Reserved

THERE IS a "crows nest" that is up even higher, across the bridge and along a pretty narrow, slippery and potentially treacherous trail past the bridge that eventually turns again upward. It is dirt and narrow. I saw the people up there, but I had an entry time at the castle for the interior tour and didn't think I would have time. I wonder, though, if that is one of the viewpoints I have seen in print? If we ever get back, I will - health and fitness willing - venture up there. The only other real shots were after I left the bridge and took the trail (about a 10-minute walk) back down to the castle entrance. None of them were spectacular, as this one illustrates.

Neuschwanstein Castle - Bavaria, Germany
Copyright Andy Richards - All Rights Reserve

THERE ARE three ways to get up to the castle. You can take a shuttle (tickets can be purchased at the base in Hohenschwangau for about 4 euro - if memory serves it is cash only). It takes you up to a dropoff point where the road forks - toward the castle, or toward the Marienbrucke). I did that. You can take a horse-drawn carriage, again from the base in Hohenschwangau, which drops of and picks up about 5 minuts from the castle gate. I don't know what the price of that is. I do know we should have planned to take it back down off the mountain. The third way you can go is to walk it. I wouldn't recommend that, unless you are a seasoned hiker and have plenty of proverbial gas in the tank. It is a steady uphill grade all the way up. The map they handed out from Hohenschwangau says it is a 40-minute walk. NOPE! We often find that the estimates are generous and it is usually shorter. Not in this case. Thinking the walk down the hill would be easier, we opted for that, thinking that if is was 40 mins uphill, it might be 30 mins downhill. Our guide said 15. We were both wrong. For us that is understandable, but I seriously doubt anybody could make the climb in 40 minutes. Bruce did walk up, but he stopped and rested several times and he took over an hour. It took us nearly 45 minutes to get down. That could have been o.k., but our guide gave us a time to be back at the bus (and we knew that if we were seriously late, they could leave without us). For the guide that is not understandable. If fact it is inexcusable. This wasn't - as they say - her first rodeo. She presented as having done this many times. The one and only complaint I have about the excursion folks for the day. Otherwise it was great. But she and I had a conversation when I reached the bottom. My wife desperately needed to be able to slow down and to stop and rest on one of the benches placed along the way, but we were afraid, particularly as our 15 minutes turned into 30, and then 40, that we might not make it on time. The only solace was that we weren't alone. Give a better estimate of times!

Horse Carriage - Neuschwanstein Castle - Bavaria, Germany
Copyright Andy Richards 2024 - All Rights Reserved

WE MOSTLY napped on our bus ride back to Munich. We ended at the now-familiar Karlsplatz. We were tired, but also hungry and thirsty. Neither Bruce nor I had lunch. It all played well into our scheme, though. One of the items we had wanted to check off was to try one of the Augustiner Beer halls. We had been given a recommendation for them. I am sure that any of the other beer halls would have been fine, but I remembered the first one we had seen on our walking tour the first day in Munich. I also knew that it was about a 5 minute walk past Karlstor (Karlsplatz Gate) - so right around the corner. It met expectations well. The beer was fresh and cold and the food was good. We finished refreshed and after the short tram ride back to the Opera, were ready to retire. And ready for our next adventure. We had a 9:30 a.m. train scheduled for Prague the next day. We had opted for first class and knew the tram number and timing to arrive well ahead of schedule. What could go wrong? Hint: Mr. Murphy was out in his full splendor the next day. 😠

STAY TUNED.